Study of the effect of temperature changes on the elastic modulus of flexible pavement layers

Abstract

In general, the stiffness of flexible pavement is influenced by environmental changes, whereby temperature and rainfall affect the asphalt layer and non-asphalt layer, such as the subgrade, respectively. Normally,the effect of temperature on flexible pavement can be measured using two methods. The first is a destructive test whereby core samples are tested in a laboratory using a Universal Testing Machine (UTM). The second is a nondestructive in situ test using equipment such as a Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) and Spectral Analysis of Surface Waves (SASW). This study was conducted to investigate the effect of temperature at different tensile levels on the Soekarno-Hatta and Purwakarta Cikampek roads in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. It is observed that different tensile levels and testing methods result in various elastic modulus values of flexible pavement. The higher the temperature applied to the flexible pavement layer, the more the elastic modulus values decrease. In contrast, the lower the temperature imposed on the flexible pavement layer, the more the elastic modulus values increase. Different testing methods (FWD, UTM and SASW) on the flexible pavement layer are also affected by temperature changes. © 2013 Maxwell Scientific Organization.